History

College of the Canyons Olympians

COC volunteer assistant track coach and
U.S.A. Track & Field hurdler Lashinda Demus finished with the
silver medal in London, with a time of 52.77. This wasn't her first
appearance at the international championship, after appearing at
the 2004 Olympics in Athens narrowly missing the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing, which were held only months after she gave birth to twins
in 2007.

Long before she ever entered the coaching
ranks, current COC assistant track coach Denean Hill made a name
for herself as a three-time Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992) and gold
medal winner, as part of the 4x400-meter relay team that brought
home the gold in 1984. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South
Korea, Hill earned a silver medal as part of the same 4x400 team,
before going on to run in the same event at the 1992 Games in
Barcelona.

Former COC volleyball player Linda
Chisholm (1976-77), who eventually became an All-American at
Pepperdine University, was also an Olympian at the 1984 games in
Los Angeles. Chisholm, helped Team U.S.A. win a silver medal,
finishing behind gold medal winner China. Chisholm was inducted
into the COC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and the California Beach
Volleyball Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 1984, former COC second baseman Flavio
Alfaro, who was a member of the college's 1981 State Championship
baseball team, participated in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los
Angeles, as part of Team U.S.A. Because baseball was introduced as
a demonstration sport that year, no medals were awarded. However,
the team — which also included future MLB superstars Mark
McGwire, Barry Larkin and Will Clark — would eventually
finish in second place, losing to Japan by a score of 6-3 in the
championship game.

COC's orignial cross country and track
and field coach Ed Jacoby got his career started at the then-small
College of the Canyons, and built the program into a Desert
Conference powerhouse. After COC he continued his coaching success
at Boise State and is now at Northern Arizona. But, in 1992, the
seasoned coached was called upon to help Team U.S.A. track and
field as an assistant coach in Barcelona. He helped the team win 46
medals, including 11 gold medals.